Por Redaccion - Today, the surveillance, prevention, and extinguishing operation for forest fires in Castilla y León for the upcoming high-risk season has been presented at the Fire Defense Center, which will extend from June 12 to October 12.
- The operation, which is permanent and reinforced throughout the year, will reach its maximum deployment in the coming days and will have more organizational, technological, and material resources.
June 6, 2025
Castilla y León |
Department of Environment, Housing, and Regional Planning
The Minister of Environment, Housing, and Regional Planning, Juan Carlos Suárez-Quiñones, has presented to the media the high-risk campaign for the surveillance, prevention, and extinguishing operation of forest fires for 2025.
The 2025 forest fire fighting operation will involve 4,720 professionals (329 engineers; 885 environmental agents, wardens, and others; 1,432 permanent and other discontinuous workers; 517 helitransport teams; 1,297 silvicultural treatment teams; and 260 aerial crew and machinery crews), with 10 command centers – nine provincial CPMs and the autonomous CAM, 363 surveillance posts and cameras, 391 fire engines and pick-up vehicles, 210 ground and helitransport teams, and 32 machinery and bulldozer teams, including 16 night teams in all provinces, 8 of which work during the day, weather permitting.
Regarding aerial resources, the operation includes 23 aerial units from the Junta de Castilla y León (22 helicopters and one plane) – located at the bases of Cebreros, Piedralaves, and El Barco (Ávila), Medina de Pomar, and Pradoluengo (Burgos), Cueto, Rabanal, Camposagrado, and Sahechores (León), Villaeles (Palencia), El Bodón, El Maíllo, and Guadramiro (Salamanca), Coca and Las Casillas (Segovia), Garray (Soria), Valladolid, Quintanilla, and Rosinos (Valladolid), Villardeciervos and Villaralbo (Zamora) – supplemented by 6 helicopters and 4 planes from the General State Administration stationed in the Castilla y León territory. In total, 33 aerial units plus additional units that can be mobilized outside the Community.
Regarding the communication system for information on forest fires, the
INFORCYL
website provides constant and real-time information on active forest fires, their circumstances, resources, and all related information for the media and the public.
Prior to the presentation of the Operation, a virtual meeting was held with territorial delegates to analyze various aspects to maximize the coordination of the 2025 surveillance, prevention, and extinguishing operation during the high-risk season, initially scheduled between June 12 and October 12.
Protocols for emergency response to forest fires were reviewed, including the declaration of potential severity indices and operational situations.
Main Innovations of Operation 2025
Following the Social Dialogue Agreement for the improvement of the forest fire fighting operation signed on September 27, 2022, and similar to 2023 and 2024, the 2025 campaign has strengthened its capacity throughout the year. Outside of the high-risk season, more personnel, technical staff, and environmental agents have been included, along with reinforced command centers, aerial resources, new fire engines, off-road vehicles, and structural and resource improvements.
During the high-risk season, additional personnel have been included, with improvements in command centers (equipped with new technologies), enhancements in direction and coordination, reinforcement of helitransport teams with double shifts, and the maintenance of 16 night teams for five months. Other highlights include the introduction of the new INFOCAL Plan, an increase in surveillance cameras to 160 throughout the Community, and the distribution of tablets to all environmental agents.
Regarding fire engines, the service period has been extended, and the fleet has been renewed. The Junta is constructing 6 new facilities in Rosinos, Cervera de Pisuerga, El Tiemblo, Palencia, Páramo de Masa, and Béjar. Improvements are also being made to the Burgos capital facility, and 2 PMA vans and 11 5-seater pick-ups with high-pressure pumps have been fitted.
A satellite platform has been introduced for real-time monitoring of fire perimeters and measurement of fire heat energy and flame length through a constellation of satellites, along with a new version of the SINFO2 platform.
Training from the Fire Defense Center
Suárez-Quiñones highlighted the active prevention and training work carried out by the CDF, which continues as a national reference center, with international collaboration projects. He emphasized participation in projects like RETECHFOR and joint drills with Portugal.
The training program for the operation has been enhanced with an expanded team of permanent trainers and a continuous program that includes fire sectorization, organization, machinery use, backfires, and more. The Human Value Service with psychological training and social skills is maintained, along with the continuation of educational campaigns such as ‘It Depends on Everyone, It Depends on You’ and workshops on ‘What Happens After the Fire?.’
Coordination among Public Administrations
The Junta de Castilla y León has a permanent operation with strategic deployments in all provinces, but it is autonomous, flexible, and in full coordination with other administrations, ensuring the effective functioning of forest fire prevention and extinguishing tasks.
Internal coordination is crucial, with the Autonomous Command Center (CAM) in Valladolid maintaining internal coordination within the Junta de Castilla y León. It is in constant coordination with the 112 Emergency Center and the nine Provincial Command Centers (CPM) located in the Territorial Delegations of the nine provinces. It benefits from coordination and support from the General Directorate of Natural Heritage and Forest Policy and the Civil Protection Agency of the Junta. Additionally, there is constant communication with other central, regional, and local administrations.
Coordination with firefighting resources from other public administrations is also vital, including the State Administration (Government Delegation and Sub-delegations, through Security Forces and Corps, aerial resources from the Ministry of Ecological Transition and the Ministry of Defense with the UME), as well as with municipalities, associations of municipalities, and provincial councils through agreements for their vehicles to assist these administrations with Junta resources in the 49% of Castilla y León’s territory that is not forested.
Community Collaboration
Suárez-Quiñones emphasized the importance of the public taking extreme precautions to avoid recklessness, essential to prevent forest fires throughout the year, especially during the challenging summer months when the risk is higher.
«We know that only a very small percentage of fires are caused by natural factors, around 8%, as the vast majority of fires – 92% – result from human intervention, whether reckless or intentional; in other words, the vast majority of fires could be prevented,» he recalled. «The weather conditions are there, we cannot change them, but we can reduce the number of fires by observing established rules and taking necessary preventive and safety measures.» Therefore, he stressed the importance of «public collaboration in reporting those who start fires, so that law enforcement can identify and, if necessary, apprehend the alleged culprits to be brought to justice and face the full weight of the law.»
Recommendations to the Public
The Department of Environment, Housing, and Regional Planning advises the public to avoid fuel accumulations in the vicinity of inhabited areas, mowing and clearing the area before it dries out, and removing the cleared debris.
This is especially important in peri-urban areas and agricultural zones, generally areas outside the scope of forest fires and under the responsibility of local administrations. It is crucial for municipalities, industrial estates, urbanizations, and individuals in the vicinity of inhabited areas, and public administrations in the vicinity of their communication routes, to carry out annual clearing and removal of dried vegetation, creating a passive protection zone. In this regard, the Junta will take measures in the forests it manages and roads near urbanized land to eliminate this fuel and reduce the risk.
During the high-risk season, the usual recommendations are reiterated: prohibition of fires outside authorized areas, caution in beekeeping on windy days, careful use of tools that generate sparks in natural or agricultural environments, and maximum attention during cereal harvesting, especially on days with high temperatures and strong winds. The municipalities are also advised to exercise caution when authorizing fireworks in their towns, especially on days of extreme temperatures and with flammable vegetation.
In anticipation of increased domestic tourism and outdoor activities, the Minister emphasized, through awareness and surveillance, the importance of preventing fires by increasing caution to avoid negligence in public use of the forest that could lead to fires during high-risk periods, as a single major forest fire (GIF) can account for most of the annual affected area.
Finally, Suárez-Quiñones expressed gratitude for the commitment, dedication, and professionalism of all individuals involved in the operation in their various roles, forming an effective and efficient system for protecting the natural environment and, most importantly, the safety of individuals in the face of forest fire risk.